Written from prison to Timothy.
Timothy was timid and emotionally weak.
Paul calls him a man of God, a phrase not often used of many men in the Bible.
Purpose of this book- 1 Timothy 3:14, 15
Timothy chose a great man for a role model and spiritual example.
May we choose great men to be mentors to us.
More importantly, may we have our “Timothys”, that we are training and discipling.
During this time, may we be praying for people that we can train in a personal way.
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
apostle– sent one. Personal ambassador.
Stricter 1st century application- miracles, set church doctrine, etc.
This seems formal for Timothy to be told. They were like father and son.
Read Acts 20:15-32
Paul said that trouble would come from without the church and from within.
“Savage wolves” from outside the church, and “perverse teachers” from within.
There were already elders at the church, per Acts 20.
But they were going to go astray.
Timothy would have to go back and straighten things out.
He would need the authority of Paul’s commissioning to give him the authority.
He would have to go back and stand up to wolves from without, teachers from within.
Application: If some of the elders of the church were themselves going to go astray, they wouldn’t have the spiritual discernment to keep out wolves.
If Timothy started calling people wolves, and driving them out, the carnal elders might not have the discernment to stand with him, and support him in that decision.
They might think that the wolves were O.K.
They might have been drawn away by the teaching of those wolves.
Timothy would have to stand against both groups, who might have banded together.
In the midst of all of this, they would question his authority.
Paul had to establish his own authority, which then established his right to commission Timothy to correct that which was wrong.
- Timothy did not go to Ephesus as a pastor, elder, or bishop.
- He went as a representative of apostolic authority.
- The N.T. was not yet written, and the apostles were those who taught the word, and established the doctrine and behavior of the church.
- Apostolic authority was needed to correct things.
- Paul couldn’t go, so he sent Timothy, and confirmed the authority given to him.
- Timothy wasn’t an apostle, but brought the true teaching.
The apostolic calling no longer exists as it did then.
The Bible was completed, and now guides our church life.
by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
by the commandment- Not just the will of God for Paul, but the command of God to Paul
May we have that kind of inner drive and conviction about what our lives are about.
savior- a term used both of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
See Titus 1:3,4…2:10,13…3:4,6
our hope- Timothy had a big task ahead of him.
Paul reminds him of where our hope is placed.
Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1:2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Timothy- Jewish mother and grandmother. Greek father.
Raised in the teaching of the O.T. scriptures.
When Paul met Timothy on his 2nd missionary journey, Timothy was already a Christian, and well known in his region.
He was young, schooled in the Word, and of good reputation.
Paul took him along on his journeys.
Paul had no children of his own, and Timothy became like an adopted son to Paul.
As a son begins to physically look like his father…
So Timothy began to spiritually resemble Paul
Phil 2:19-22 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
Grace- Undeserved favor of God, divine friendship, that which is lovely, charming
Mercy- Kindness or good will towards the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
Peace- Lack of conflict, calm spirit based upon the knowledge of God’s love & care
Verses 3 & 4- the loss of truth
1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia; remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
Paul and Timothy had ministered together in Ephesus.
Paul had been driven from Ephesus by Demetrius the silversmith, who along w/others, made statues of Diana. Acts 19, 20
Paul’s preaching caused them to fear they would lose their business, and they incited a riot and drove Paul from Ephesus.
Timothy remained, apparently unhindered.
that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
The word means to continually and repetitively correct those who are in error.
Timothy’s ministry would take time to correct the false teachings of others.
It wasn’t something Paul could announce and correct with one statement.
It required an abiding in that place and a correcting of various wrong teachings and mindsets.
Timothy was to accomplish 2 things:
- Timothy was to stop certain teaching that was going on in Ephesus; and
- He was to make clear how to use the Law of Moses in the Christian life — the lawful use of the Law.
“The main thing is to see that the main thing remains the main thing.”
It was not Paul’s intention to leave Timothy there permanently.
He was not there to be the bishop of the church.
He was left in Ephesus to correct that which was erroneous after Paul had brought forth correct teaching.
See 3:14, 15; 4:13
1:4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies,
There were some in Ephesus who sought to integrate fables, myths, stories into the teachings of Christianity.
Fables, myths, stories can be interesting.
We do not have to invent new stories to keep people interested.
We don’t have to find new truths to include in the teaching of the Bible.
We are not to mix secular thinking with biblical instruction, for the sake of being interesting
These men were adding fables to truth.
Dilution of the truth is as dangerous as opposition to the truth.
In some ways, more dangerous.
These fables were probably of Jewish origin.
and endless genealogies,
Paul had grown up in this, and knew how it could take people’s eyes off of the truth of the gospel and the Christian message.
Formerly, great care was taken in keeping track of one’s tribal ancestry.
Now that Christ had come, and salvation was open to the Gentiles as well, these genealogies were useless, and only promoted pride of bloodlines and birth.
which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.
The result is clear.
Genealogies would do nothing to promote godliness, but would opportunity for strife, divisions, rankings, pride, etc.
What needs to be pursued is that which saves, corrects, edifies the Body of Christ
godly edification which is in faith- This is what should be pursued.
2 Timothy 2:2 2And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Timothy was to teach the truth that had been taught to him.
He was to teach others, so that they could teach others, and so on.
We don’t need any new truths.
We need fresh understanding of the truth that has already been given.
We need greater conviction of the truth that has been committed to us.
Godly edification- being built up in the spirit
Not fleshly satisfaction
Not intellectual stimulation
Not emotional manipulation
1:5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
Now just as error can be detected by what it produces, so too can truth be detected by what it produces.
If a church is giving itself to some subtle form of human philosophy, it will result in endless speculation.
But if the truth is being taught and preached and believed, it will always result in a loving congregation.
Paul’s command to avoid meaningless things is that the saints would enjoy pure hearts, clear consciences, sincere faith.
#2-command- right teaching of the law
Agape brought forth, born out of correct teaching, and the work of the H.S.
love- agape, self sacrificial love.
pure heart- clean, clear, pure, unmixed.
good conscience- a conscience free from guilt. God’s ways, not man’s ways.
sincere faith- not hypocritical, not pretended, but sincere.
1:6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,
Turned away from correct doctrine, true teaching, and turned to peripheral issues, or un-biblical issues.
astocheo, as-tokh-eh’-o; to miss the mark, i.e. (fig.) deviate from truth:–err, swerve.
Wandered away, missed the whole idea, missed the mark, KJV having swerved, not aiming at.
They wandered away from seeking agape, pure hearts, good consciences, sincere faith.
They had the goal in view at one time, but wandered away from the goal.
In other words, these teachers become “doctrinal wanderers,” wandering about from one aspect of human speculation and philosophy to another.
If you watch them over the course of time, one thing is characteristic of them: they never stay with one subject but are always pursuing theological and
philosophical fads.
idle talk–vain jangling, babble, useless words.
When you turn from something, you will turn to another thing.
1:7 desiring to be teachers of the law,
They sought the recognition that came with being a teacher of God’s word.
A high honor among the Jews.
understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.
1:8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
Paul was not an enemy of the Law of God.
He was an enemy of the misuse of the Law of God.
Paul agreed that the Law was good.
Rom 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual,
Paul desired that the Law would be understood and followed for it’s intended purpose.
1:9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person,
The Law was not intended to produce a spirit of servitude and bondage upon people’s lives.
This was the main error of the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day.
The Law was intended to restrain the crimes of mankind.
The man who seeks to please God, and live for Him, does not feel fettered by the Law.
He sees the Law as good and wholesome.
The wicked man feels the sting of the Law.
It seems, as was usually the case, the false teaching at Ephesus revolved around Jewish fables, customs, genealogies, etc., that did not build up Christians in the faith, but rather promoted controversy and strife.
Paul seeks to show that this burdensome application of what some misunderstood as “Law”, was inappropriate, and misapplied, and that those who taught and considered themselves teachers, really didn’t understand the purpose of God’s Law at all.
but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1:10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
That is the purpose of the Law.
To show the sins and errors of man.
1:11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
The gospel and the Law are not in any disagreement.
What the Law forbids, the gospel of JC also forbids.
That which the Law dictates, the gospel agrees with, and writes in a more personal way upon the hearts of true Christians.
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.